(By Amy Wells)
The Romantic Era originated in Europe at the end of the 18th century and was seen as a response to the Enlightenment and the new Industrial Age. It was a revolution against the new scientific approach to nature and life and focused on the aesthetic experience, placing a new emphasis on emotions. Its foundation was in part from the German Sturm und Drang movement, as well as the French Revolution. Romantic artists, poets, and writers tended to play more to the imagination and often turned to nature as the ultimate source of pure beauty. Romantics also had a penchant for celebrating the individual and the picturesque qualities of life.
The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers,
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.--Great God! I'd rather be
A pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.
This critical essay, by the Victorian poet Mathew Arnold, focuses on the idea that Wordsworth’s poetry does not receive the proper recognition and praise that it deserves. Arnold holds Wordsworth in high esteem and pronounces him one of England’s greatest poets, after Shakespeare and Milton. He proclaims that the lack of accolades is partially because of the inconsistency in Wordsworth’s work. He states that Wordsworth appeared to have a “golden prime” from 1798 to 1808, and that the works before and after that time dwindle in comparison. Arnold asserts that Wordsworth’s gems are bogged down by inferior work that Wordsworth still presents as triumphantly and seriously as he does his true masterpieces. Wordsworth doesn’t seem to realize his “uninspired, flat, dull” poems, which set him apart from the other two great poets, according to Arnold.
Another reason that Arnold believes Wordsworth doesn’t receive the recognition as great is because of his followers, the “Wordsworthians.” They praise him for the wrong things, and focus too much on his philosophy instead of the poetic nature of his works. Arnold states the “his poetry is the reality, his philosophy the illusion” and evens goes so far to say we should dismiss Wordsworth philosophy. Instead, Arnold proclaims we should look at his works and admire the “extraordinary power” that Wordsworth “feels the joy offered to us in nature.” Arnold further states that “the source of joy from which he thus draws is the truest and most unfailing source of joy accessible to man.” This joy is universal, which is why it is shared so easily through his poems. Wordsworth’s sincerity and the sincere and true nature of his subject is what make his poetry so beautiful and real, according to Arnold. Therefore Arnold believes that Wordsworth should be remembered for his power of portraying joy and nature through his poems, and be esteemed as one of England’s greatest poets. (Arnold, Matthew. "Wordsworth." DISCovering Authors. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Web. 2 Apr. 2012.)
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The Romantic Period
The Romantic Era
(By Amy Wells)The Romantic Era originated in Europe at the end of the 18th century and was seen as a response to the Enlightenment and the new Industrial Age. It was a revolution against the new scientific approach to nature and life and focused on the aesthetic experience, placing a new emphasis on emotions. Its foundation was in part from the German Sturm und Drang movement, as well as the French Revolution. Romantic artists, poets, and writers tended to play more to the imagination and often turned to nature as the ultimate source of pure beauty. Romantics also had a penchant for celebrating the individual and the picturesque qualities of life.
(Kreis, Steven. "Lecture 16: The Romantic Era." The History Guide. 4 Aug. 2009. Web. 02 Apr. 2012. http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/lecture16a.html.)
A Poem from the Romantic Era
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers,
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.--Great God! I'd rather be
A pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.
(Wordsworth, William. "The World Is Too Much With Us." Poets.org. The Academy of American Poets. Web. 02 Apr. 2012. http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15878.)
Summary of Critical Essay about Wordsworth
This critical essay, by the Victorian poet Mathew Arnold, focuses on the idea that Wordsworth’s poetry does not receive the proper recognition and praise that it deserves. Arnold holds Wordsworth in high esteem and pronounces him one of England’s greatest poets, after Shakespeare and Milton. He proclaims that the lack of accolades is partially because of the inconsistency in Wordsworth’s work. He states that Wordsworth appeared to have a “golden prime” from 1798 to 1808, and that the works before and after that time dwindle in comparison. Arnold asserts that Wordsworth’s gems are bogged down by inferior work that Wordsworth still presents as triumphantly and seriously as he does his true masterpieces. Wordsworth doesn’t seem to realize his “uninspired, flat, dull” poems, which set him apart from the other two great poets, according to Arnold.Another reason that Arnold believes Wordsworth doesn’t receive the recognition as great is because of his followers, the “Wordsworthians.” They praise him for the wrong things, and focus too much on his philosophy instead of the poetic nature of his works. Arnold states the “his poetry is the reality, his philosophy the illusion” and evens goes so far to say we should dismiss Wordsworth philosophy. Instead, Arnold proclaims we should look at his works and admire the “extraordinary power” that Wordsworth “feels the joy offered to us in nature.” Arnold further states that “the source of joy from which he thus draws is the truest and most unfailing source of joy accessible to man.” This joy is universal, which is why it is shared so easily through his poems. Wordsworth’s sincerity and the sincere and true nature of his subject is what make his poetry so beautiful and real, according to Arnold. Therefore Arnold believes that Wordsworth should be remembered for his power of portraying joy and nature through his poems, and be esteemed as one of England’s greatest poets.
(Arnold, Matthew. "Wordsworth." DISCovering Authors. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Web. 2 Apr. 2012.)
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Essay on The World is Too Much With Us